Emmbtt a



(No Model.)

B. A. SAUNDERS,

I OVERSHOE. No. 298,239. Patented May 6, 1884.

MENTOR ATTEST.

u. PETERS. P mmmmpw. Wanhingmn. mu

TATES PATENT QFFICE.

EMMET'I A. SAUNDERS, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO GOOD- YEARS METALLIC RUBBER SHOE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,239, dated May 6, 1884-.

I Application filed March 11, 1884. (No model.)

T otZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMME'IT A. SAUNDERS,

- of Naugatuck, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Overshoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in means for fastening together or properly holding in place relatively on the foot of the wearer the flap-like portions of the quarters, or such other parts of the shoe (according to the pattern of the latter) as are designed to be coupled together, and is especially adapted to that species of shoes in which one of the two portions designed to be fastened together is provided with a tongue or strap-like extension designed to engage with some sort of clasping, buckling, or other holding device applied to the other of such portions.

Previous to my invention various contrivances have been employed for securing together and properly holding in place rela tively (when the shoe was on the foot of the wearer) those portions of the shoe designed to be drawn together and fastened in place to retain the shoe in a fit condition on the foot of the wearer; but in all such contrivances with which I am familiar there has always existed some practical objection, usually in one or another of the following particulars, viz: that the parts secured together could not be drawn up more or less, as might be desired, in order to perfectly fit the foot of the wearer of the shoe; or that the fastening device has been. difficult of Inanipulatiomeither in fastening on or in taking off the shoe; or that the tongue or strap-like extension projecting from one of the two parts to be coup1ed-together and engaging with some sort of buckle applied to the other of said parts has had its projecting end (when in a fastened condition) left free to turn up into an unsightly and. objectionable position.

I propose by my invention to provide for use a means for fastening in place those parts of a shoe designed to be coupled together, which, while it shall accomplish this end in the most desirable and convenient manner, and so as to permit a perfect adjustment of the shoe to the foot of the wearer, shall be exceedingly easy of manipulation with the hand of the person, both in fastening on and in unfastening the shoe, and shall possess the capacity (when the shoe shall be fastened on the foot of the person) to keep the end of the strap-like extension always down in place; and to these main ends and objects my invention may be said to consist, essentially, in the combination, with those portions of the shoe to be coupled together or fastened in place over the foot of the wearer, of a properly-perforated strap -like extension or tongue applied to or projecting from one of said portions, and a metallic device composed of a hinged spring-holder tongue applied to the other one of said portions, the construction and arrangements of the parts being such, as will be hereinafter described, that the said hinged tonguemay be easily inserted within and most conveniently withdrawn from any one of the perforations of the said strap-like device, and will, when turned down into a fastening position, not only securely hold onto the said strap-like device, but will press down on and hold the latter in place beyond the point of positive engagement therewith, and thus keep said straplike device in a desirable position, all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable those skilled in the art to' make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the same more fully, referring by letters of reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated my invention carried out in that form in whichIhave so far successfully practiced it.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ordinary cloth and rubber overshoe having embodied in its construction my invention. Fig. 2is a partial sectional view taken at a plane indicated by the line a: a: of

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view, but with the fastening devices represented in an uncoupled or unfastened position, while Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the metallic spring-tongue device detached from the shoe, for the purpose of more readily showing its construction.

In the several figures the same part will be found designated by the same letter of reference.

The shoe proper, which is of one of the known forms of construction, needs no particular description, further than that A and B respectively representthe forwardly-extending quarfor portions which overlie the instep portion 0 of the vamp of the shoe, and which are designed to be securely held in place over the instep of the shoe of the wearer by means of a contrivance which Iwill now more particularly explain.

E is a strap-like extension or device, which projects from one of the quarter-extensions, and is preferably made of a separate piece of suitable material securely attached at its root to the said quarter-cxtension,as clearly shown, and which has three (more or less) holes or perforations, h '1', which, in the case shown, have those portions against which the wear and strain will come strengthened or re-enforced by the application of metallic clips or pieces 1 2 3. Of course,other desirable means or devices for strengthening and preventing the wearing away or tearing out of the perforations may be employed in lieu of the particular means shown.

To the other one of the quarter-extensions is securely fastened, by either riveting or sewing, or both, or by other means, as shown, a metallic device, which is composed of a framelike portion, oz, in which is hung upon a pivot or pintle a tongue or finger, m, which is retained in either of two positions by means of aspring, 0, arranged as shown, and operating to press upon the hinged end or portion of said tongue or finger.

In the operation of the fastening or coupling contrivance, such as shown, applied to the quarter-extensions in the manner illustrated, the shoe is fastened upon the foot of the wearer (supposing the parts to be in the condition illustrated in Fig. 3) by pulling the strap like device over and downward, and inserting at any desired one of its perforations the spring tongue or finger m of the metallic clasping device, and by then, with the thumb or finger pressing forward and downward (in the same directions of movement that were given to the strap-like device) the said finger on until, by the action of the spring 0, said finger shall be thrown down into and held in the position seen in the drawings at Figs. 1 and 2. \Vith the parts thus fastened together,the finger m, it will be seen, not only securely holds the strap-like device attached to the other quarter against any tendency or strain operating to force apart the coupled-together portions of the quarters, but also acts so as to press downwardly upon a portion of that part of the strap-like device which projects or protrudes beyond the point at which is located the perforation with which the tongue may be engaged, thus operating to hold said projecting portion of the straplike device down in a better and more sightly position than it would be apt to assume were it held downwardly only at the point or 10- cality at which it is positively engaged by means of its perforation with the fastening device.

To unfasten the shoe it is only necessary for the wearer to take hold of the projecting end of the strap-like device and pull it upwardly and over toward the quarter portion to which its root is secured, whereby the finger-like device on will in turn be pulled up or elevated on its pivotal point and against the action of the spring 0, until the parts become naturally and properly disengaged, and assume somewhat the relative positions seen at Fig. 3 of the drawings. It will be observed that thus the small metallic finger m, which is of course held in its downmost position with some force by the spring 0, and which cannot be so easily grasped and manipulated with the fingers as can the projecting end of theZstrap-like device, does not need to be handled at all by the wearer of the shoe in unfastening the latter.

Of course, variations in the size and proportions of the parts shown, and in the details of coustructioinmay be made without departing from my invention, so long as the contrivancc shall involve the principle of construction and mode of operation herein shown and described, and such contrivance may of course be applied to shoes of any pattern and material.

lVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In combination with those portions of the shoe which are to be coupled together and held in the proper relative position over the foot of the wearer, a strap-like device, E, projecting from one of said portions, and a spring-tongue fastening device properly secured to the other of said portions, the combination being such, as described, that when the parts shall be coupled together as shown the ton gue of the metallic fastening device shall not only engage with one of the perforations of the strap-like device, but shall also operate to hold down the said strap-like device for some distance beyond said perforation, so that in uncoupling the parts of the fastening contrivance the spring-tongue m may be elevated or thrown up into a position for ready disengagement from the perforation of the strap-like device by simply taking hold of the protruding end of the latter and pulling it upwardly, as hereinbefore set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of March, 1884.

EMME'IT A. SAUNDERS.

In presence of- E. B. GOODYEAR, Gno. R. WELTON. 

